Railroad-tie.



R. L. BOWER. RAILROAD TIE. APPLICATION PILBD snrw. 2. 1909.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

2 8HBETBBHEET 1.

V W/TMESSES By M in ATTORNEYS R. L. BOWER.

RAILROAD TIE.

APPLICATION runn 5314.21.19.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOH floberfj.fiawez" WITNESSES A TTORNE YS 1n: mamas PITERS 20., wnsumctpn, D c

ROBERT L. BOWER, OF BLANDBURG, PENNSYLVANLA.

RAILROAD-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed September 2, 1908. Serial No. 451,308.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT L. BOWER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Blandburg, in the county of Cambria and State of Penns lvania, have invented a new and Improved ailroad-Tie, of which the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to metallic railroad ties, such as shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 855,277, granted to me May 28, 1907.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved railroad tie formed of a sheet of metal rolledup into tubular form, and having overlapping portions on the top to render the tie exceedingly strong and to form firm seats for the rails, the tubular tie also having pairs of upwardly extending members for receiving and holding rail fasteners and for determining the seats for the rails and consequently the gage of the track.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same and showing the rails in position; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a like view of the same on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the tie provided with a modified form of the means for fastening the rail in place on the tie; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same and showing the rail in position; Fig. 8 is a cross section of the same on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a plan view of the tie provided with another modified form of the means for fastening the rail in place on the tie; Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the same and showing the rail in place; Fig. 11 is a cross section of the same on the line 1111 of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a side elevation of a modified form of the tie and the means for holding the rail in place, parts being in section; and Fig. 13 is a cross section of the same on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

The metallic railroad tie is made of a single piece of sheet metal A, of a length corresponding to the length of the tie, the sheet metal being rolled up into tubular shape with the sides of the sheet formed into overlapping portions B, B, B, B, C, C, C, G and D, D and portions of the sides are formed into upwardly-bent members F, F, G, G, H, H and I, I, as illustrated in the drawings. The overlapping portions and the vertical members are a proximately at the middle top portion of the tubular tie, and the overlapping portions C, G and C, C form the seats for the bases of the rails J, J, and the said overlapping portions C, C for the rail J are flanked by the pairs of members F, F and G, G, while the overlapping portions O, C are flanked by the pairs of members H, H and I, I, thus determining the gage of the track. Between each air of u wardly-extending members F, F, G, G H and I, I is arranged a rail fastener K for holding the corresponding rail J or J down on its seat, and the rail fasteners K are secured in position between the corresponding members by bolts L extending through the members and the corresponding rail fastener K, as plainly indicated in Fig. 3.

By the arrangement described, the railroad tie can be manufactured in a very simple manner, and the sides of the sheet of metal of which the tie is made are held in place by the bolts L connecting the corresponding members F, F, G, G, H, H and I, I with each other and holding the rail fasteners K in place at the same time.

The tubular tie can be filled with suitable ballast, and the middle bottom portion of the tie is preferably provided with an opening N, so that the ballast extends from the road bed into the tubular tie at the middle as well as at both ends, to securely hold the railroad tie in place.

Although I have shown one form of tie fastener K attached to the corresponding pair of upwardly-extending members, it is evident that other suitable forms of such tie fasteners may be used, it being, however, understood that the fastener is held in place on the vertical members forming integral portions of the tie itself. It will also be noticed that the vertical members for receiving the rail fasteners range in the direction of the len th of the tie, and can be made of any suitzible width, to securely and firmly hold the rail fasteners K in place.

As shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the rail fastener K is in the form of a doubled up plate straddling the corresponding members F, F, G, G, H, II and I, l, and fastened thereto by bolts l1, and in the modiiied form shown in Figs. 9, 10 and l l, the rail fastener K" is in the form of a doubled up plate widened at the top to embrace flanges 0 extending outwardly from the upper ends of the members I F, G, G, II, II and l, I, which members are straddled by the sides of the fastener li Bolts L pass through the said fastener sides and the members I F, (1, G, H, H and I, I, to securely hold the fasteners in place.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the rail fastener K is in the form of a doubled up plate having a tubular top fitting the curved upper ends of the members F, I, G, G, H, II and I, I, and through which curved upper ends extends a bolt P fitting with its head P into the inner end of the tubular top of the fastener K Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A railroad tie made of a sheet of meta] rolled up into tubular form, portions of the sides of the sheet overlapping and other portions of the sides forming upwardly ex tending members arranged in pairs.

2. A railroad tie made of a sheet of metal rolled up into tubular form, the sides of the sheet joining along the middle top portion of the tubular tie, part of the joint being formed by portions of the sides overlapping in an approximately horizontal direction, and other portions being bent upward to form opposite members for receiving and holding rail fasteners, the said members ranging in the direction of the length of the tie.

3. A railroad tie made of a sheet of meta] rolled up into tubular form, the sides of the sheet joining along the middle top portion of the tubular tie, part of the joint being formed by portions of the sides overlapping in an approximately horizontal direction, and other portions being bent upward to form opposite members for receiving and holding rail fasteners, the said members ranging in the direction of the length of the tie, and means for fastening the said opposite members and the rail fasteners together.

4. A railroad tie made of a sheet of metal rolled up into tubular form, the sides of the sheet joining along the middle top portion of the tubular tie, part of the joint being formed by portions of the sides overlapping in an approximately horizontal direction, and other portions being bent upward to form opposite members for receiving and holding rail fasteners, the said members ranging in the direction of the length of the tie, the said opposite members being arranged in pairs spaced apart for the reception of the rail and for determining the gage of the track.

5. A railroad tie made of a sheet of meta] rolled up into tubular form, the sides of the sheet joining along the middle top portion of the tubular tie, part of the joint being formed by portions of the sides overlapping in 'an approximately horizontal direction, and other portions being bent upward to form opposite members for receiving and holding rail fasteners, the said members ranging in the direction of the length of the tie, the said opposite men'ibers being arranged in pairs spaced apart for the reception of the rail and for determining the gage of the track, rail fasteners between the said members, and means for fastening the opposite members of a pair and the corresponding rail fastener together.

6. A railroad tie made of a sheet of metal rolled up into tubular form, the sides of the sheet joining along the middle top portion of the tubular tie, the joint being formed by portions of the sides overlapping and other portions being bent upward to form opposite members, the bottom of the tubular tie having a cut out portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT L. BOVVER. Witnesses B. B. LEVENGOOD, FRED L. FRIoK. 

